Honey Pot Ant

Honey Pot Ant

Geographical Range

Southwestern United States, Mexico

Habitat

Deserts, dry plains

Scientific Name

Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Conservation Status

Not listed by IUCN

These fascinating little desert ants can turn themselves into living "honey pots." The nest-mates in a colony convert the food they eat into a sugary liquid. Then they store it inside their body, in their expanding abdomen. When food is scarce, the honey pot ants regurgitate this nectar to feed their nest mates.